I HEARD OF THAT SOMEWHERE
Michael D. Winkle
* * * * *

Available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com
And at Troy Taylor's American Hauntings Ink
A hundred years ago, a young boy went out to the well to fetch a bucket of water and never came back. His family went to look for him; they found his tracks in the snow, but these ended in mid-stride as if he'd stepped off a cliff. The boy called for help as if from a distance, but he was never seen again.
You know, I heard of that somewhere. It happened in Indiana - or Alabama - or Wales.
In bustling, modern New York City a man dressed in Victorian clothing materialized in the middle of Times Square during the rush hour. He was immediately hit by a cab and killed. All the papers found on him were dated from the 1870s. An inquisitive police chief dug back through old records and found that a man by the same name had left home for a walk one night in 1876 and had never returned. At least, I heard of that somewhere.
Before Son of Sam, Ted Bundy, or Zodiac, Jack the Ripper stalked London, killing women by ones and twos. For over a century detectives and researchers tried to learn his identity, and he was finally revealed to be the same man who built the horrible "Murder Castle" at the Chicago World's Fair. Or he was a high-ranking member of the Freemasons who rode around the dingy alleys of East London in a royal coach. Or he was Queen Victoria's grandson. Well, I heard of that somewhere.
We've all heard of mysteries historical and paranormal; we've all discussed "true" tales at parties, around campfires, and at other informal gatherings. We are all fascinated by strange, scary, and inexplicable events, yet when we collect them and pass them on, we forget basic facts concerning them.
Even serious researchers into the paranormal suffer from this dichotomy. If the stories are true, they imply that the laws of nature don't always agree with scientists' theories, that we share this world with unknown creatures, spirits, and intelligences, and that powerful forces are at play in the universe - powers that might someday be harnessed by humanity. They might spark several paradign shifts in science and philosophy, if the phenomena behind them could be pinpointed and studied. Yet many writers and self-proclaimed experts can't seem to locate basic texts and first-person accounts on anomalies, relying instead on second- or third-hand versions from tabloids, YA and juvenile books, or mass-market publications meant only to entertain the general public.
In I Heard of That Somewhere author Michael D. Winkle traces famous and not-so-famous rumors, tall tales and urban legends to their origins, or as close as is feasible. Some old stories fade into fiction or hoax (though not as many as you might think). Others spread out in unexpected directions, bringing us to new, equally intriguing stories. Some actually become stranger the farther we search. And a few actually happened the way you heard of - somewhere.
* * * * *
A BONUS FOR READERS OF I HEARD OF THAT SOMEWHERE!:
As I wrote in the Introduction of the book, I had hoped to end I Heard with an index like that of Roget's Thesaurus or Bartlett's Quotations; that is, a list of key words and key phrases a reader could consult to pinpoint an account only vaguely remembered. Unfortunately, in practice this proved to be too difficult, but I am presenting the index on this web page. It would be simple enough to copy it or print it off and keep it near the book itself, should you think you need it.
So, presented for your approval, the phrase index to I Heard of That Somewhere!
INDEX/THEMES -- PAGE NUMBER
A
- Alabama: Farmer disappears near Selma 79
- Alaska: Lemmings fall from sky 163
- Aliens dancing in road 225
- Amelia Earhart ghost seen 8
- Angikuni, Lake: Disappearance 246
- Animal ghost 205
- Animals foretell disaster 180
- Animals, talking 230
- Ape, phantom 12
- Arch/trilithion/stone doorway shows other times/dimensions 202
- Argentina: Bear-like creature 233
- Arizona: Dinosaur reports 57
- Arizona: Mysterious stone doorway 202
- Arizona: Slaughtered pioneer familys voices heard 119
B
- Bicyclists pants catch fire 48
- Bierce, Ambrose The Damned Thing 64
- Bierce, Ambrose Mysterious Disappearances 77, 188, 223
- Bighead huge headed creature 194
- The Birds (movie) based on real events 18
- Body parts, ghostly 20
- Bogey-beast, Yorkshire, England (Padfoot) 197
- Boy or mans voice still heard after vanishing 188
- Boy or man walking to well vanishes 188
- Bradbury, Ray witnesses strange occurrence 61
- Burning Man 43
- Bury St. Edmonds, Suffolk, UK: Vanishing houses 86
C
- California: Actor sees men with dogs heads 46
- California: Bird attacks 18
- California: Mysterious footprints and creature 152
- California: Naked ghost by road 208
- Canada (NW Territories): Wilderness ghost 175
- Carnivorous plants 75
- Cherokee Indians legendary creature 229
- Child saved by naked ghost 208
- Childrens hand- and footprints on walls and ceiling 101
- Chile: Hide/skin creature 93
- Clowns, mysterious 38
- Coffin, floating/flying 96
- Colorado: Dinosaur reports 57
- Colorado: Red-eyed monster 261
- Colorado: Wailing spirit/La Llorona 166
- Constable, Trevor James theory of living UFOs 98
- Critters living UFOs 98
- Crocker Land/Crocker Mountains, Arctic 253
- Crosses of light on windows, 1971 108
- Crossroads, snake-like entity seen near 199
D
- Dancing creatures in road 225
- Dartmoor, UK: Hairy Hands 30
- Dartmoor, UK: Vanishing house 86
- Derbyshire, UK: Flying dart creature 68
- Desert, airmen disappearing in, 1924 178
- Destructive creature in woods 152
- Devils Hoofprints/strange footprints 152
- Dimensional opening in bed/floor 256
- Dinosaur in Irish lake? 227
- Disappearance: Farmer crossing a field 77
- Disappearance: Inuit/Eskimo village 246
- Disappearance: Roanoke Colony (North Carolina) 211
- Dogmen California 46
- Dogmen Wisconsin 158
- Dragon report Texas 236
- Dreams that come true 83
E
- Earhart, Amelia predictions made by/apparition of 8
- East Sussex, UK: Phantom ape 12
- Egg-shaped object falls from sky, Griffin, Georgia 117
- England (Bristol): Dimensional opening in hotel bedroom 256
- Eskimo village disappears 246
- Eye, disembodied 25
F
- Farmer picks up tiny UFO 243
- Fiery humanoid 43
- Flat living rug creature 93
- Floating/flying coffin 96
- Flying arrow/dart creature 68
- Flying saucer-shaped creature 98
- Flying wolf-headed humanoid 15
- Footprints of unknown being (not Bigfoot) 152
- France: Stones fall from sky 52
G
- Georgia: Golden, burning egg falls from sky 117
- Germany: Human torch 43
- Gettysburg (PA) ghosts 160
- Ghost and spectral coffin 96
- Ghost dog 205
- Ghost protects corpse from animals 175
- Ghostly footprints on walls and ceiling 101
- Ghostly pushes 186
- Ghostly slaps 186
- Giant shrimp in apartment basement 106
- Giant walks through small town 170
- Girls pulled upward as stones fall down 52
- Glowing apparition/blob in a country lane (Iowa) 110
- Glowing crosses appear on windows 108
- Gorilla, phantom 12
H
- Hairy Hands of Dartmoor 30
- Hand of Glory 28
- Hands, disembodied 20
- Haunted house 90
- Haunted Old West stage station 119
- Haunted staircase: Birmingham, England 186
- Haunting: Oregon Trail 103
- Hawaii: Faceless woman haunts drive-in theater 172
- Headless ghosts 121
- Headless Horseman 121
- Heads, disembodied 23
- Hearn, Lafcadio Mujina (faceless spirit) 172
- Heartbeats, mysterious 34
- Hitchcock, Alfred: The Birds based on real events 18
- Hotel: Dimensional hole/portal 256
- House with history of strange deaths 180
- Huge headed humanoid 194
- Hughes, Irene, medium ghost hunt 110
- Human Torch specter 43
- Hvcko capko: Seminole Indian mystery animal 169
I
- Illinois: Disappearing, moving house 86
- Illinois: Space-time displacement 70
- Indiana: Amelia Earharts ghost, Purdue University 8
- Indiana: Creatures develop in toxic waste pit 241
- Indiana: Dancing silver beings 225
- Indiana: Oliver Lerch disappearance 188
- Inuit village disappears 246
- Invisible Monster 64
- Iowa: Ghost hunt 110
- Iraq: Vanishing airmen, 1924 178
- Ireland: Lake monster 227
- Ireland: Rug-like creature 93
- Ireland: Tiny UFO, 1956 243
J
- Jack the Ripper London serial killer 128
- Japan: Faceless spirit 172
K
- King, Stephen: and fear of clowns 38
L
- Lake monster resembles Theropod dinosaur 227
- Leamington Spa, UK: Strange disappearance 223
- Leeds, Yorkshire: Bogey/phantom animal 197
- Legend trips 154
- Lemmings fall from sky/disappear 163
- Liverpool (UK): Talking cat-like creature 233
- Living arrow/dart 68
- Living dinosaurs? 57
- Living rug creature 93
- La Llorona in Colorado 166
- London: Whitechapel murders/Jack the Ripper 128
M
- Man/boy pulled into the sky 188
- Man from the 1870s appears in Time Square 50
- Man wrestles UFO 243
- Marco, Paul (Ed Wood actor) reports dogmen 46
- Medium frightened by glowing apparition 110
- Men chase wailing spirit 166
- Mexico: Carnivorous plants -- 75
- Mice flee house before death/disaster 180
- Michigan: Mysterious clowns 38
- Michigan: Strange animal abducts girl 231
- Michigan: Vanishing farmhouse 86
- Mini-UFO in Ireland 243
- Missing Pilots, 1924 178
- Missouri: Haunted house 90
- Missouri: Phantom cabin 86
- Modern artifact in archeological site 239
- Modern-day dragon sightings 236
- Mothman first appearance 155
- Mount Rainier: Winged humanoid 15
- Mujina faceless spirit of Japan 170
- Multiple anomaly cluster 90
- Mysterious events occur near stone arch 202
- Mysterious lands, Arctic 252
N
- Naked ghost by the side of the road 208
- Nebraska: Pioneer ghost story 103
- Nevada: Saucer-shaped flying creature 98
- New Hampshire: Invisible monster 64
- New Jersey: Ghost dog 205
- New York: Haunting 21
- New York: Staten Island: Legend trip 156
- New York: Mice flee house before death 180
- Nicaragua: Carnivorous plants 75
- Night the Ghost Got in (James Thurber) based on real events 183
- Nine-foot-tall man walks through small town 170
- Nineteenth century man appears in New York City 50
- Noppera-bo faceless spirit of Japan 172
- North Carolina: Living UFO 229
- North Carolina: Roanoke colonists vanish 211
- Northumberland, UK: Flying dart creature 68
- Northwest Territories, Canada: Disappearance 246
- Numerical coincidences 38
O
- Object falls from sky, Ireland 243
- Ohio: Hairy humanoid 194
- Ohio: James Thurbers ghost story 183
- Oklahoma: Wolf-like quadrupedal cryptid 169
- Oregon Trail ghost 103
- Ouroboros serpent encounters 199
P
- Padfoot, phantom beast of Leeds, Yorkshire 197
- Parahumans/ultraterrestrials/spirits mingle with people? 61
- Pennsylvania: Giant phantom snake 199
- Pennsylvania: Giant walks through town 170
- Pennsylvania: Legend trips 154
- Pennsylvania: Man pulled into the sky 192
- People and animals vanish through stone arch in the desert 202
- Phantom airplane and pilot, Purdue (IN) University 8
- Place memory at western stage station 119
- Plan 9 from Outer Space actor reports dogmen 46
- Poland: Speedy cyclists pants catch fire 48
- Precognition/foretellings 83
- Psychic frightened by glowing apparition 110
- Psychic powers 83
R
- Ripper murders occult, ghost stories, miscellanea 142
- Roadside ghost appears nude 208
- Roanoke Colony disappearance 211
S
- Sandringham, Norfolk, UK: Poltergeist phenomena 37
- Scotland: Foxlike apparition 234
- Seminole Indian legendary animal 169
- Shrimp-like monster in basement/laundry room 106
- Silvery creatures dancing in road 225
- Sky falls: Lemmings 163
- Sky falls: Stones 52
- Sleepy Hollow and other headless specters 121
- Snake-like creature haunts school/crossroads 199
- Space-time anomaly, Illinois 70
- Space-time anomaly, Missouri 90
- Spaceman in shiny suit walks through town 170
- Spontaneous life? 55, 114, 241
- Squid-like creatures in toxic waste, Indiana 241
- Sraheens Lough, Ireland: Monster 227
- Stones fall from the sky; girls pulled upward 52
- Strange people seen at accidents 61
T
- Talking animals 230
- Tennessee: David Lang hoax 77
- Terhune, Albert Payson: Phantom dog story 205
- Texas: Dinosaur reports 57
- Texas: Dragon-like entity plus paranormal phenomena 236
- Texas: Invisible monster 64
- Thurber, James ghost story 183
- Time travel hoax 239
- Time traveler hit by car 50
- Toxic dump creatures seen dwelling in 241
- Train station, supernatural 70
- Tree, carnivorous 75
- Tulpa (thought-form) 12
U
- UFO as living being 98, 229
- UFOs and burning egg-shaped object in Georgia 117
- United States: Glowing crosses appear 108
- Unsolved murders London 128
V
- Vampire plants 75
- Vanishing Airmen, Iraq 178
- Vanishing houses 86
- Vines, moving/blood drinking 75
- Virginia: Tiny humanoid 55
- Voices and sounds of Indian raid, Arizona 119
W
- Wailing woman and mysterious buzz in Colorado 166
- Washington state: Monster shrimp 106
- Washington state: Talking bear 232
- Washington state: Winged wolflike creature 15
- Wazooey Man (unidentified creature) 261
- Weird science 114
- Wellman, Manly Wade monster of folklore 93
- West Virginia: Flying coffin and ghost 96
- West Virginia: Mothman sighting 155
- Whitechapel murders, 1888 128
- Winged wolflike creature 15
- Wisconsin: Dogmen sighting 158
- Wolf crossed with deer cryptid 169
- Wolverhampton, UK: Sailor and child ghosts; footprints on ceiling 101
- Wood, Ed, actor sees dogmen 46
Y
- Yorkshire: Bogey/phantom animal 197
Z
- Zooforms (animal-like entities) 12, 230
Back to our Home Page, The Fantasy World Project!